American
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1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz “The Raindrop Car”
In 1958, Cadillac produced a total of 815 Biarritz convertibles. Five were taken straight from the assembly line to GM’s super-secret Styling Center, where they were highly modified. At least one of these cars has survived, reportedly the prototype of the “Raindrop” modification, and is presented here as part of the Wiseman Collection. At first…
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1965 Pontiac GTO Convertible
I suspect the judges who previously gave this car an AACA Senior badge would not have done so on sale day {vsig}2008-2_2128{/vsig} Pontiac first offered the GTO option on the Tempest in 1964, and despite UAW strikes, which kept production down, it was a big hit. The muscle car market was evolving, and in 1965,…
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1911 Oldsmobile Limited 7-passenger Touring
Without evidence of time, what does a real object offer the collector that a perfect replica does not as well? {vsig}2008-1_2114{/vsig} Oldsmobile made its name with the tiny single-cylinder “curve dash” buckboard in the early years of the 20th century, but went on to produce one of the most significant and largest early American cars.…
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1903 Cadillac Runabout Rear-Entrance Tonneau
Founded by Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer, the Cadillac Automobile Company of Detroit completed its first car in October 1902. The firm’s superior manufacturing technology-precise gear cutting was Leland and Faulconer’s specialty-soon established it as the foremost builder of quality cars in the United States. The company was formed using funds supplied by two of…
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1974 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty
The Trans Am was not without options, and one in particular made this Trans Am the king of the no-horsepower kingdom {vsig}2007-10_2071{/vsig} The year 1974 was a tough time for American automakers, with many legislated changes. The results were not good. New emission regulations, which had gone into effect in 1968, gradually sapped horsepower by…
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1970 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe
It seems hard to justify the extra $75,000 to own #1, especially as there’s another #1 out there from the Norwood plant {vsig}2007-9_2056{/vsig} Introduced to the public on February 26, 1970, the 1970 Camaro series stayed in production for twelve years. This handsome design survived gas crises, “big bumper” redesigns, and emasculating emissions. Attesting to…
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1956 Arnolt-Bristol Coupe
The greatest attraction of the car is that it is ideal for vintage tours and rallies, offering protection from the elements and reasonable luggage space In 1955, Road & Track described the Arnolt-Bristol as “American designed, British powered and Italian styled.” Offered as a coupe or roadster, it combined the talents of designer Arnolt from…
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1953 Muntz Jet
In the annals of automotive history, there have been few hucksters, snake oil salesmen, and promoters as bizarre as Earl “Mad Man” Muntz. Muntz made and lost a fortune in the automobile business, first selling used cars to service men returning from WWII and later as a Kaiser-Frazer dealer in Chicago. After WWII you could…
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1965 Shelby GT350 “Supercharged”
Unveiled by Carroll Shelby on January 27, 1965, the GT350 fastback had a fiberglass hood and functional scoop, and a clean-looking grille with a tri-color horse on the driver’s side. All 1965 Shelbys were Wimbledon White with a blue GT350 side stripe below the door. Dealer option Le Mans stripes were available, running down the…
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1937/40 Duesenberg Model SJ Rollson Cabriolet
This Duesenberg might be Rudolf Bauer’s best-known work; it’s certainly the most valuable Faced with the surreal scale of the Duesenberg’s chassis, some designers attempted to reduce the scale of the car. Not artist Rudolf Bauer. His intent was to create the longest, most distinctive Duesenberg ever built. And he did. Bauer emphasized the dominant…